Saturday, December 26, 2009

That, in my hand, is my new Nikon D40. It's lovely, and we've spent the last few days getting to know one another. She (I just feel like it's a female; is that wrong?) was a gift from my special fella, and I'm completely enamored. I'm still very much a noob, but I'm reading up on f-stop and aperture, and other camera-related jargon. It's fun to learn a new language!

P.S. This is a sneak peak of one of my finished Christmas gifts (hint: it's on my head!). I'll post a proper FO post soon.

Monday, December 14, 2009

Wednesday, December 9, 2009

Jill already knows about this Christmas gift, so it's safe for me to show you my progress.

I started making these socks for myself, but as the sock came together, I couldn't help but think my sister would love them as much as I do. I made her an iPod cozy out of the same yarn last year, so I knew she would enjoy the crazy colors.

This is another toe-up sock (my second pair ever!), using Wendy Johnson's basic recipe.

This time, I did a slip-stitch heel, which was a bit confusing at first (mostly because I had less stitches on the needle than necessary, but I made the math work). I'm not satisfied with the bind-off, but Peter recently posted about a no-fail stretchy bind-off, so I'm going to redo that, and then the first sock is finished.

Since Jill already knows about them, and since she's a kick-ass sister, she understands that these might not be finished by Christmas day, so I've set these aside until I can clear out some of my other gift obligations.

Monday, December 7, 2009

Back in January, I finished my Purple Waffles, but over Thanksgiving, my sister got a great punching shot with them in action. I love the gloves (and I love my bangs!), so I'm grateful that Jill was willing to snap a few punching shots.

Additionally, I took some outside photos of Wesley, which was another January FO.

I still haven't worn this hat, but I'm glad to have some clearer shots of the lovely FO.

Friday, December 4, 2009

Seriously? I can count the number of times it's snowed here on one hand. That's considering (almost) 28 years of living.

The forecast for today was 100% precipitation, with a very good chance of sleet/snow. It happened! Not much accumulation, of course, because, again, this is Houston, but it was fun, and work let us out early, in case the roads were bad.

Of course, my camera battery was low, so I have no pictures to document the occasion, but Rhonda and I knit some this afternoon, while drinking Irish coffee, which was delicious.

I'm working on one of four Christmas knitted gifts, so I'm furiously trying to get through them. I will definitely be casting on for a new sweater for myself once I'm done.

I'll show off some of the gifts soon, but tow of them can't be shown until after they're given.

Oh, and apologies for the lack of Food Fridays. See above regarding my camera battery. I'll fix that with a quickness.

Monday, November 23, 2009

This FO was a long time comin'. Like, one year and four months. Yeah. Sixteen months of being on the needles. Then, it sat in waiting to be revealed for another month.

Shame on me.

Look how pretty!

Pattern: Ganiggle's Celtic MemoriesYarn: KnitPicks Wool of the Andes in Tidepool Heather, 1.5 skeinsNeedles: KnitPicks Circular, Size 2Time: Sixteen effin' months (a few rows here, a few rows there; you know how it goes)Recipient: Not sure. I will save it for now, but maybe it will be a gift at some point.Thoughts/mods/notes: I didn't make any mods, and the pattern is really straightforward. There was so much time in between sessions of knitting on this that I never really memorized the cabled section (but the lace portions on either side were easy to remember). I love this, and I'm proud to finish it, as the cabling is really gorgeous in the heathered yarn. I like the three buttons I had in my stash, and how they match the yarn so perfectly. I did my first i-cord for the strap (now I've even done applied i-cord on Pauline!).

Sunday, November 15, 2009

It's been almost two months since my Boston trip. And that's how long I've had this shawl done. Seriously. Two months, and I haven't shared it yet.
This is the shawl I cast on while working on my Boston Marine Cardigan (I needed something to work on while I was waiting to start the button band-you know how those can go!). I finished it the morning I flew home.

My blog friend Peter recently wrote about vacationing and knitting, and the connections you can make while working on something in a certain place. I definitely think of Boston every time I see this shawl. The colors are perfect, too; they make me think of Boston Harbor, and our fun ferry ride.

Details:

Pattern: HelloKnitty's Multnomah Shawl
Yarn: The Unique Sheep Verve in Dusk Dark, 1 skein (I have just a couple of yards left!)
Needles: KnitPicks Circular, Size 3
Time: Just under a month. I could have finished it faster (see above to remember this was a procrastination WIP), but there was no rush.

Recipient: Not sure. I will save it for now, but maybe it will be a gift at some point.

Thoughts/mods/notes: The pattern is well written, and easy to follow. I'm really a big fan of the sock yarn shawl. It's easy to see why they're so popular these days. I'm sure there will be more in my future. No mods to the pattern. The yarn is awesome; my Ishbel was knit in the same yarn. I'm a big fan of The Unique Sheep.

As you can tell, there is some pooling, since the yarn is predominantly blue and yellow (although there is a lot more subtle variation than that). I like it, though. I dig it.

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Jill and I went to see Glen Hansard. The Swell Season. If you don't know, now you know. Check it out if you are unfamiliar. It was one of the four best shows I've ever been to.

The best part was when he pulled this girl on stage to sing backup (she was singing out from the crowd, and it was obvious she had a voice), so she ended up belting out, and it was an amazing goosebump-inducing song moment. Ah, I wish we were still there.

Friday, November 13, 2009

Quincy Market is an awesome place. Have you heard of it? It, along with Faneuil Hall, are old buildings just on the border of the North End and Downtown Boston, which have been converted into food and retail spaces. You walk through the crowds to pick your poison, and then you can eat it outside while you people watch.

This will give you an idea of what I mean. It's a little overwhelming, trying to choose, and trying to wade through the crowds. I managed to find something yummy.

It's a portabello panini, and it was delicious.

Jill and I actually went to Quincy twice. The second time, I don't remember what I ate for lunch, but I do remember gelato I had for dessert. It was coconut, and it was yum. Sadly (and happily), it was eaten too fast for a picture.

Monday, November 9, 2009

Cast on for projects with disdain for those projects that have long been on the needles.

Use yarn that you've been hoarding and thinking about when you're knitting other things.

After finishing several items in the last few weeks (two of which I still need to share with you!), I cast on vigorously this weekend. For two things. That's right, folks. I have two new WIPs to share.

First up, Pauline, a bonnet by Knitting Kninja (the link is for ravelry-it's a free pattern!).

I'm knitting this in Malabrigo Worsted. The color is Verde Esperanza and it is divine. I already knit my little i-cord flowers, using some Zen Yarn Garden sock yarn that I bought as part of a sample pack on Etsy several months back. It was only $5, and it had five sample skeins of their various sock yarns in a lovely berry shade. I think the color will go nicely with this green bonnet.

After a few hours of knitting, I'm ready to start the short row shaping. I'm curious to try the applied i-cord edging technique in this pattern. Sounds weird, but neat!

So, since that wasn't enough Malabrigo in my life (along with my Malabrigo Mitts that I need to finish!), I cast on with some Malabrigo Lace for a secondIshbel.

This is my first time using Malabrigo Lace, and I'm using size 5 needles. The fabric is super soft, and I love the slight variations in this shade of blue (Stone Blue).

I've knit far past this picture. I'm knitting the large stockinette portion, and I'm about two-thirds through that section. This will probably be a gift.

I hope you'll find something new to cast on for soon! Live a little; you won't regret it.

Sunday, November 8, 2009

So, I haven't heard a response from Crooked Knits. If you'd like the Malabrigo and pattern prize, please comment here with your email address or email me at parandroid7 at gmail dot com by Friday of this week.

If Crooked Knits does not appear, I'll pick a new winner from the original comments.

Saturday, November 7, 2009

I finished the first one on July 18th, and now, only four months later, the second one is done! You're not impressed by my speediness??In all fairness, I didn't cast on for the second one right away, so I'm sure I can improve on my project duration on the next pair.

Yeah, I said it. I'm going to make another pair.

Interestingly enough, as I was nearing the end of the second sock, I couldn't put it down. In fact, from the heel on, I felt like I couldn't knit fast enough.

The heel really does feel like the beginning of the end, or the light at the end of the tunnel, or some other cliche. Speaking of heels, the above photo is my second one, and I think there is a vast improvement from the first one.

There's not much more to say about this pair, but here's the skinny:

Details:

Pattern: Really, I didn't use a pattern, but I've listed it under Wendy's Generic Toe-Up Sock on Ravelry. I cast on 16 stitches using the Turkish cast-on, increased to 40 stitches, and then added a few increases at the widest part of the foot, and decreased by a few as the foot got more narrow. Not very technical, am I? Yarn: Rock Creek Super Soft Sock Yarn in Cherry Blossom, less than one skein. I don't know exactly how much I have left, but it's enough to make some booties or some other cuteness, and I'm thinking of pairing it with my Ishbel leftovers (lime-green; perfect!)Needles:KP Harmony circular, US size 1 1/2 Time: Eh, about four months. Each sock took about a week or a week and a half to actually complete, so not as long as I thought. Hopefully, the next pair will be faster, now that I've got the hang of it. Recipient: me me me me!!Thoughts/mods/notes: I really kind of winged it, but it was a good experience.

These aren't perfect, by any means. Just from the pictures, you can see that my knitting is irregular in places, and the bind off is sort of messy.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Yep. Two years of blogging for me! I'm not tired of it yet, and hopefully, you're not either. On this, my blogibirthday numero dos, I find it funny that again, my number of completed projects is twenty-one. Apparently, that's my magic number.

The breakdown for this year:

5 hats

7 shawls/scarves/neckwarmers

1 pair of gloves/mitts

2 cozies/misc. items

6 shrugs/sweaters/vests

0 socks (0 bags

At least eight of these are gifts.

I've also got eight WIPs on the needles right now.

To celebrate my blogibirthday, I'm having a little contest. The prize:Some of my stashed Malabrigo. Two skeins, to be exact.

One in powder blue, one in Loro barranquero. Additionally, I will send you a couple of pattern booklets or magazines to round out the package. And, by leaving a comment with your favorite Halloween candy, you might find some of that in the package as well!

I will take comments until Saturday, October 31st, 6:00 PM CST.

I will post the winner next Sunday.

Thanks for reading. I enjoy this little (not so little, really!) world of knitters, crafters and bloggers. I've learned so much in the past year, and I'm glad to be a part of it.

ETA: If I don't have an email or ravelry username for you, be sure to check back here next Sunday in case you win!

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Jill scored us tickets to see the Red Sox play. I think the only way she managed was that we planned this trip months in advance, otherwise, we never could have afforded to go. Truth be told, I'm not the biggest baseball fan, but going to a game is different, especially in a town like Boston, with so much love for the home team!

Just being at Fenway was an experience. It's hard to believe it's been around since 1912, and it was neat to think about the history of the place, the game, and to imagine all the people that have sat here, watching and hoping.

The Sox played Toronto, and unfortunately, they were down in the seventh inning, when it started raining. I was not aware that the game just stops when the rain starts. It was fun to watch this tarp unroll to protect the field, just in case the rain let up. After about thirty minutes, Jill and I, along with most of the other patrons, walked back to the T and headed home. It was a hilarious ride home, thanks to one pretty obnoxious drunk dude.

Given that this was a POW camp in the Civil war (the wiki link above gives more information, if you're interested), I couldn't help being reminded of Alcatraz. It's an eerie feeling, walking through history, knowing people were imprisoned here, isolated from the world.

Jill and I enjoyed walking around the island. It really is beautiful, and the view of Boston across the water was stunning.

Subscribe To

This blog is a collection of my amateur attempts to knit, sew, cook and do other crafty stuff. I live in Houston with my husband and three cats, Bella, Olias and Fitzgerald. You can contact me at parandroid7 at gmail dot com. You can find some destash and handmade goods in my etsy shop, at http://www.etsy.com/shop/Jaceycraft